All We've Got
by imsuchanut
Summary: She ended the call, loathing the way her hands shook and the sob that followed. This was not what she wanted. She set the phone down on the table and fell back against her bed. This was not helping matters, at all. In fact, it only served to make her week worse. Maybe that little voice in the back of her head was right. She shouldn't be here.


Anonymous prompted: "My parents know." I'm assuming this is for Fitzsimmons. If it's not, I'm sorry! This was a bit tricky since we don't know anything about either of their families. And I'm a bit out of practice. But I hope you like it!

She ended the call, loathing the way her hands shook and the sob that followed. This was _not_ what she wanted. She set the phone down on the table and fell back against her bed. This was not helping matters, at all. In fact, it only served to make her week worse.

Maybe that little voice in the back of her head was right.

She shouldn't be here.

She never should've done this.

She needed to go back home.

But how could she face them? Her family, who know what she does. Know that she's done things, helped to build things. Things that killed. The damn Night-Night gun appears in her mind.

They know she's in danger, constantly. They know that she didn't have a peaceful job in a reputable lab in America, like she said. They know she doesn't live in a quaint little apartment. They know that everything she's told them for the past few years has been nothing but lies.

Her own family doesn't trust her anymore. She's nothing but a deceitful traitor to them, the disappointing misbehaved child of the family. Her mother, of course, didn't come right out and say it. But she could tell from the shake in her voice and the thinly veiled anger laced with disappointment. She had failed her family, who wanted nothing more than for her to go out and make a difference in the world.

She worked for SHIELD. An organization with a reputation, one that her family certainly wouldn't understand. After everything that's happened; the Avengers, the attack on New York, accidents around the world, SHIELD isn't exactly a secret. They get their hands dirty and keep the public unaware.

It didn't matter that what they did was helping the greater good. People don't generally understand that. They see the secrets being kept, the things they have covered up, and the power they wield. People were scared of them, and sometimes that fear was well placed.

Not to mention the danger.

An organization that dabbles with aliens and superhumans isn't exactly risk free. There's always the possibility of being killed—whether you're a field agent or a simple scientist. Even in the lab, things could go horribly wrong. They were in constant danger of being attacked: by outsiders, or the mysterious substances they worked on themselves.

But she had thought it would be a fantastic opportunity. She could help people, save lives. She had the opportunity to learn things about the universe, and to create things that changed the world. All while working with her best friend. In the end, the choice had been obvious. But not to her family. It was hard enough telling them that she was leaving for America.

Which is why she had kept her job a secret all these years. For her protection, and theirs. And it had all been ruined by her stupid mistake.

She had sent them a picture of herself in front of a café. And she was had her I.D. badge on. All the hard work down the drain, and her relationship with her family was pushed to its limits. They might never trust her again.

That's when she welcomed the tears. They fell down her face in what seemed to be buckets, and she made no attempt to soften her sobs. How could she have been so stupid? For years, now, she's been careful to censor everything she's said. Pictures have been edited, social media was a no-go. She practiced what she would say about her life every time she called her family, just so they wouldn't find out.

A soft knock on the door pulled her out of her thoughts. Without waiting for an answer, a man stepped inside and gave her a broken smile. "I brought popcorn?" he said, pulling a bowl out from behind him.

_Of course_ he brought popcorn. Sweet, adorable Fitz. Her best friend, who always never failed to make her smile. She patted the spot on the bed next to her, and he walked over and wrapped his arm around her. She wrapped her arms around him in response, burying her head in his chest. "Want to talk about it?"

"They hate me, Fitz."

He tightened his hold on her. "Of course they don't, Jem. No one could ever hate you."

"But I lied to them! For years!"

"And you had your reasons. Someday, they'll understand that."

"What if they never do?"

"Don't say that. You're just going to worry yourself."

"But really though?"

"That's not going to happen. They might be angry, yes, but more than likely they're just scared. Suddenly you're in this dangerous world that they knew nothing about. And they still don't know much about it."

She turned and rested her head on his shoulder. "But I can't talk to them about it. They won't understand."

"You don't have any choice but to try. They don't want to lose you, Jem."

She sighed, and reached for a handful of popcorn. "You're right."

"I know I am."

"Oh, shut it."

"You can't deny my genius!" There it was, his geeky but adorable side. She had been waiting for it to pop up.

"I'm not." There was silence for a few minutes, before she spoke up again. "You've been saving me a lot, lately."

"Jem-"

"Thank you."

She kissed him again. But this time was so much better, because it their lips were fusing and she could feel him smile against her mouth, sending a warm feeling throughout her body. It was sweet and a bit hopeful, but it was home. Safe and loving, always there for her. She pulled back and rested her forehead against his, both slightly breathless and flushed.

No matter what, she would always have him. He was family now, too.

A shrill sound erupted from her table. "You should pick it up. Family is all we've got."

She reached for the phone.


End file.
